High impact maneuvers have always been a very important part of pro wrestling. Theoretically speaking, the more impactful a maneuver is the higher the odds of it finishing an opponent and ending a match. Over the years, the Powerbomb has been one of the most preferred high impact moves in all the sport.
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It's been used extensively by several WWE Hall Of Famers and is still used frequently by many of the sport's top stars today. Some performers use it simply as a high impact transition move. However, other performers have mastered their own signature version of the maneuver and have used it with great success throughout their careers.
9 Kevin Owens' Pop Up Powerbomb
When Kevin Owens answered John Cena's open challenge for the WWE U.S. Championship back in 2015, he immediately made a huge impact on WWE's main roster. Owens was a rare combination of power and athleticism, especially for a man his size. Owens would go on to display an extremely impressive arsenal against Cena en route to a shocking win in his main roster debut at Elimination Chamber 2015.
The move that sealed Cena's fate was Owens' highly impactful Pop Up Powerbomb. It only took one misstep by Cena for Owens to toss him up, catch him, and forcefully drive him into the mat for the win.
8 The Shield's Triple Powerbomb
Tandem finishers can often be risky simply because of all the moving parts involved. The risk is compounded when the tandem move happens to be a high impact one. The Shield mastered the art of the tandem finisher with their Triple Powerbomb variation.
For over two years, Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, and Seth Rollins ran roughshod over the entire WWE roster. They easily disposed of any three-man combination that was thrown in their path. The Shield's weapon of choice to end matches was a devastating Triple Powerbomb which saw Reigns as the anchor in the middle with Ambrose and Rollins adding additional support on the side. At the height of their run, that move took out countless WWE stars, including the legendary Undertaker.
7 Sid Vicious' Powerbomb
At 6'9" and over 300 lbs, Sid Vicious is one of the most physically imposing competitors to ever set foot inside a wrestling ring. A very important part of Sid's imposing aurora is his devastating Powerbomb finisher. From a purely mechanical standpoint, there's nothing necessarily special about Sid's Powerbomb. What makes Sid's Powerbomb so devastating and effective is Sid's size and the power with which he delivered the move.
Sid's height was an obvious advantage when delivering the move, providing additional height for his opponent to drop from. Sid's follow-through on the release also added to the forceful impact. Sid used the move to claim multiple World Championships in both WWE and WCW.
6 Vader's Powerbomb
To anyone who saw him wrestle outside of WWE, it was obvious that Big Van Vader was one of the most unique big men ever. Vader fits the bill of the intimidating monster heel to a tee. However, at the same time, he was ahead of his time in terms of athleticism and mobility. Vader's offensive arsenal was an impressive combination of power moves and jaw-dropping acrobatics. Vader's moonsault was perhaps his most widely acclaimed move but his Powerbomb was the real key to his success.
For years, Vader put down some of WCW's top stars with his Powerbomb. He caused even more damage with the move during his iconic tours of Japan. The move would eventually help Vader claim World Championship gold in both WCW and NJPW.
5 Mike Awesome's Awesome Bomb
To the fans who were lucky enough to see Mike Awesome wrestle, he absolutely lived up to his name. Gifted with the size of a legitimate heavyweight and the athleticism of a cruiserweight, Mike Awesome was a budding star in the late 90s wrestling landscape. During his time in ECW, Awesome was positioned as a top star, capturing the promotions World Championship in September of 1999.
At the center of Awesome's offensive repertoire was a high impact release powerbomb that loosely resembled a crucifix bomb dubbed the "Awesome Bomb." Awesome used the move with great success during late 1999 and early 2000 in ECW, before leaving the promotion for the supposedly greener pastures of WCW in 2000.
4 The Undertaker's Last Ride
When The Undertaker reemerged with his "American Badass" persona at Judgment Day 2000, it symbolized a metamorphosis for "The Phenom." Gone were the days of the undead creature of the night being led by the evil mortician. With that in mind, many fans wondered how The Undertaker's offensive move set would adapt. Along with adopting more of a brawling style, The Undertaker moved away from his highly popular Tombstone finisher, replacing it with The Last Ride.
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The devastating elevated powerbomb quickly became a fan favorite, eventually rivaling the Tombstone. The Undertaker would use The Last Ride with great success until reverting back to his "Deadman" persona in 2004.
3 Jushin "Thunder" Liger's Liger Bomb
Jushin "Thunder" Liger is highly respected in any pro wrestling circle, but he has deservingly reached legendary status in his home country of Japan. Liger is arguably the greatest Light Heavyweight to ever wrestle in Japan or the United States. Liger has wrestled for nearly every promotion on the planet. He's won virtually every title there is to win in his weight class and sold out the biggest arenas on the planet.
One of the main reasons for Liger's success is his Liger Bomb finisher. The move looks like an ordinary powerbomb right up to the point where Liger drops down to the mat with his opponent, hooking his opponent's arms with his legs for a pinning combination. The move and Liger have become iconic.
2 Batista's Batista Bomb
When Batista hit the main stage of WWE, fans were immediately impressed by his raw potential. At 6'6" 280 lbs, Batista was the true definition of a powerhouse. Batista's offensive arsenal matched his animalistic persona, with plenty of high impact moves. Batista's finisher was an extremely forceful sit-down powerbomb he called the "Batista Bomb."
Batista would use the Batista Bomb to win the WWE World Tag Team Championships, Intercontinental Championship, and multiple World Championships. The move resembles Jushin Liger's Liger Bomb except for Batista not dropping directly into a pinning combination and the obvious difference in power between both deliveries.
1 Kevin Nash's Jackknife Powerbomb
When Kevin Nash stepped into the role of a lifetime in 1994 as Diesel, he needed a finisher worthy of such a cool and intimidating character. At nearly seven feet tall and over 300 pounds, a powerbomb variation seemed like the perfect match. Nash would go on to adopt a release powerbomb that would come to be known as the "Jackknife."
Nash would use his Jackknife to climb the ranks in WWE and eventually to go on a year-long run as WWE Champion. When Nash moved to WCW, he continued using the Jackknife with great success. Namely, using it to defeat Goldberg at Starrcade 1998, albeit after some assistance from a cattle prod.
